Yarn guiding and tensioning attachment for automatic loom shuttles having bobbins



J1me 1965 w. A. ROBERTS ETAL 3,187,781

YARN GUIDING AND TENSIONING ATTACHMENT FOR AUTOMATIC LOOM SHUTTLE-S HAVING BOBBINS Filed June 28, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS WILLIAM A. ROBERTS BY JASPER P. WATKINS A ORNE Y June 8, 1 w. A. ROBERTS ETAL 3,187,781

YARN GUIDING AND TENSIONING ATTACHMENT FOR AUTOMATIC LOOM SHUTTLES HAVING BOBBINS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 28, 1963 INVENTORS WILLIAM A. ROBERTS BY JASPER P. WATKINS ATTORNEY United States I Patent 3 187,781 YARN GUIDING AhlD TENSIGNllJG ATTACH- MENT FGR AUTQMATIC LOOM SHUTTLES HAVING BOBBWS William A. Roberts, Paterson, and Jasper P. Watlnns, Clifton, NJL, assignors of twenty-five percent to Dorothy R. Woodell, Clifton, N.J., and twenty-five percent to John E. Dvorovy and Anna Dvorovy, ointly, Lodi, NJ.

Filed lune 28, 1963, Ser. No. 291,380 4 Claims. ((31. 139-213) This application is a continuation-in-part of our copending application Serial Number 215,020, filed Aug. 6, 1962, for Yarn T ensioning and Guide Means for Shuttles Having Bobbins.

This invention relates to improved guide and tensionmg means for yarn being uncoiled from a bobbin contained within the shuttle of an automatic loom.

One of the important objects of this invention is to provide filling yarn guide and tensioning means for bobbin containing automatic loom shuttles, constructed and arranged so that precisely the correct and desirable guiding and tensioning effect may be exerted on the filling yarn being uncoiled from the bobbin during loom operation. With this in mind, the guide and tensioning means of the invention is formed highly economically from materials which are ideally suited to control and regulate the uncoiling of delicate filling yarns used in the shuttles of modern day high speed self-replenishing looms. The invention is prefabricated in a novel manner so as to provide readily adjustable and readily replaceable sections or units of the guide and tensioning means which may be positioned with ease and facility at exactly the right locations upon the inner faces of the shuttle side walls adjacent the bobbin. Highly convenient masked pressuresensitive adhesive is employed on each invention unit to facilitate the quick application of a desired number of such units to the shuttle in exactly the right locations to properly act upon the yarn carried by the bobbin. The invention units are rugged and durable, very inexpensive and easy to install and replace without damaging the expensive shuttle, and the invention requiries no alteration of the shuttle structure and no weakening thereof by drilling or by using screws or other separable fastener elements. Hence, the invention increases the useful life of the shuttle and provides a means for guiding and tensioning the filling yarn with a high degree of sensitivity and in precisely the required manner.

The invention possesses great advantages over the commonly employed fur, metallic spring, sponge rubber and like tensioning devices of the prior art which are both expensive and inefficient in operation, as well as diriicult to install upon the shuttle and adjust and sometimes can not be replaced without partial or complete destruction of the shuttle.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following detailed description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application and in which like numerals are employed to desi nate like parts throughout the same,

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a shuttle containing a bobbin and having the yarn guide and tensioning means according to the invention,

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the shuttle with the bobbin removed and showing the guide and t'ensioning means in a relaxed or inactive condition,

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary side elevation of the invention taken on line 33 of FIGURE 2,

FIGURE 4 is a perspective View of one unit or section of the invention ice FIGURE 5 is a similar perspective view of the invention unit showing the reverse side thereof and illustrating the pressure-sensitive adhesive and masking strip,

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged bottom plan View of the invention unit prior to the mounting of resilient loops thereon and prior to the application of adhesive,

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged fragmentary bottom plan view of said unit showing the anchoring of an end of one resilient loop to the carrier plate,

FIGURE 8 is a vertical section taken on line 88 of FIGURE 6.

FIGURE 9 is a similar section through the carrier plate and resilient loops, and

FIGURE 10 is a similar section through the completed invention unit.

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose ofillustration is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral designates a conventional shuttle of a type commonly employed in automatic looms and having a longitudinal through slot 16 to accommodate a filling yarn bobbin 1?, removably anchored Within the usual resilient holding means 18 near one end of the shuttle. The shuttle contains the usual guide means 19 near the opposite end thereof for the yarn strand 26 as it is uncoiled from the bobbin during movement of the shuttle.

The yarn guide and tensioning means constituting the invention is prefabricated in sections or units and one such unit 21 is shown in completed form in FIGURES 4, 5 and 10 of the drawings. A plurality of these units 21 are applied to the inner faces of the shuttle side walls 22 as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 and this will be further described hereinafter upon completing the description of the basic invention unit 21.

Such unit 21 comprises a premolded plastics carrier plate 23 which is essentially rectangular and somewhat elongated lengthwise of the shuttle during use. Each plate 23 is preferably about one inch wide and one and one-half inches long and about of an inch in overall thickness, although these dimensions are not critical and may be varied slightly within the scope of the invention. One face 24 of the plate 23 is flat, whereas the opposite face 25 thereof is provided with parallel raised longitudinal bosses 26 extending along the opposite longitudinal edge portions of the plate 23 throughout a major portion of its length.

Adjacent the bosses 26, the plate 23 is provided in its flat face 24 with a plurality of equidistantly spaced gene ally T-shaped recesses 27 of uniform depth and extending longitudinally of the bosses as shown clearly in FIGURE 6. Preferably three such recesses are formed in the plate 23 along each boss 26 with the recesses on opposite sides of the plate laterally aligned. Each recess 27 has an enlarged generally rectangular frontal portion 28 and a trailing elongated portion 29 of reduced width. Substantially midway in the length of each reduced width recess portion 29, the side walls of the same are provided with a pair of opposed closely spaced diagonal preferably rounded gripping projections 39 for a purpose to be described. Substantially centrally of each frontal recess portion 28, the same is provided in its bottom with a diagonal small opening 31 extending through the top face of the adjacent boss 26 and opening into the bottom of the recess portion 28. The openings 31 are preferably at an angle of about 50 degrees to the flat face 24 and each opening is approximately /32 of an inch in diameter. The side walls of the reduced recess portions 29 are normal to the fiat face 24 and the bottom faces of the recesses 27 are parallel to the face 24. The gripping projections are preferably inclined at an angle of about degrees to the face 24 and each pair of projections has its rounded faces spaced apart about ,3 of an inch.

A corresponding number of highly resilient approxia mately U-shaped loops 32 formed of mono-filament nylon are provided on each unit 21 of a gage or diameter which produces a filament having about 3300 feet to the pound thereof. The legs or sides of the loops 32 are passed through the aligned pairs of inclined openings 31 from the sides of the plate having the bosses 26 and terminal portions 33 of the loops are caused to lie within the recesses 27 as shown clearly in FIGURES 7 and 9. V The terminal portions 33 have a pressed fit between the gripping projections 30 within the reduced recess portions 29, FIGURE 7. The loops also fit fairly snugly within the openings 31 and this arrangement tends to position and hold the loops when they are being assembled to the carrier plate 23 during the fabrication of each unit 21. When so held or assembled, the recesses 27 are filled at 34 with suitable bonding material or cement such as aqueous phenol. The terminal portions 33 are fully embedded in the bonding material 34 which fills the recesses including their reduced portions 29. At this point, a roller, not shown, may be passed over the flat face 24 to compact the bonding material 34 and the assembled uint may be placed in boiling water about seconds to effect the curing and hardening of the bonding material 34. When so cured, the loops 32 are so firmly anchored to the plate 23 that they cannot possibly be dislodged Without breaking the loops or plate and both of these elements are extremely strong. This mode of assembly eliminates the use of any extreme heat which might tend to render the nylon loops brittle and weak. The assembled loops according to the invention retain all of their strength and springiness which is essential to the proper operation of the invention on the shuttle.

The assembled loops 32 are of equal height and width and are inclined equally relative to the plate 23 along the axes of the openings 31. As shown in FIGURE 4, the loops span the major portion of the width'of their carrier plate 23. The loops are preferably about of an inch to one inch in height above the fact of the plate 23, although this dimension may vary slightly in some instances.

After completing the assembly of the loops to the plate 23, each such plate has its face 24 coated at 35 with pressure-sensitive adhesive of the type commonly employed on adhesive tape bandages, and this adhesive coating is covered and protected bya readily separable masking strip 36 of paper. or the like. This completes the construction of each invention unit 21 and all such units are identical in construction.

As shown in FIGURES 1-3, all that need be done to apply the invention units 21 to the shuttle is to peel off the masking strip 36 from each unit and to press the adhesive coated face of .the plate 23 against the inner face of the shuttle side wall 22 while the loops 32 are facing in the proper direction as depicted in FIGURE 2. .It is a very simple matter for the loom mechanic to accurately position the required number of invention units at the proper locations on the shuttle side walls so that the loops will properly engage the yarn on the bobbin for guiding and tensioning it. In all instances, at least two of the units 21 will be employed near the forward end of the bobbin and in most instances, three of the invention units will be utilized in the manner shown in FIGURES l and 2. In some cases, a fourth unit 21 may be employed in the space shown unoccupied in FIGURE 1 at one side of the bobbin and near the rear end thereof.

The loops 32 formed of nylon exert exactly the proper degree of pressure upon the yarn and over the required areas of the bobbin to produce smooth and even uncoiling of the yarn 20 therefrom. The nylon loops have selflubricating properties which render them ideal for guiding and tensioning the yarn without creating .an excessive drag thereon, and it has been discovered that no other material and no other arrangement of yarn tensioning and guiding means is capable of producing the superior results obtained with the invention herein disclosed. It

is to be noted that the rather broad gradually curved loops 32 engage about substantial circumferential portions of the bobbin 17 and adjust their contours automatically to the bobbin as the yarn thereon is diminished. Their resiliency is such that they exert a substantially constant guiding and tensioning effect on the yarn during all stages of operation.

Replacement of the units 21 is a very simple task when replacement is needed, which is very seldom. Each unit 21 may be dislodged with a knife blade or the like and a replacement unit quickly pressed into place without any damage whatsoever to the shuttle. This feature alone effects great economies in time saved and labor saved and also in prolongation of useful shuttle life. In the prior art, it is virtually impossible to replace the commonly used guide and tensioning means without damag ing the shuttle and such conventional means are tedious I and difficult to install and frequently require great skill all) and much time and labor to properly install. The advantages of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

It is to be understood that the form of the invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. A yarn guiding and tensioning attachment for shuttles having bobbins comprising a thin molded plastic carrier plate having a flat face provided with a plurality of longitudinally spaced recesses near each longitudinal edge thereof, said carrier plate having diagonal openings formed therethrough near corresponding ends of the recesses and opening into the bottoms of the recesses, gripping projections in said recesses and spaced from said openings, wide individually formed mono-filament nylon resilient loops which are substantially U-shaped and having terminal end portions engageable through said diagonal openings near opposite sides of said plate, said terminal end portions bent within said recesses to lie bodily therein longitudinally thereof and between and gripped by said gripping projections, hardenable plastic material substantially filling said recesses and covering and enclosing the terminal end portions therein, a pressuresensitive adhesive covering said fiat face ,of the carrier plate, and a'masking strip covering said adhesive and readily removable therefrom.

2. A prefabricated yarn guide and tensioning attachment for automatic loom shuttles having bobbins comprising a thin molded plastic carrier plate having at least one flat face and provided in such face near opposite edges of the plate with rows of spaced recesses, each recess having a pair of opposed gripping projections intermediate its ends, each recess having a diagonal opening leading therefrom near one end thereof and spaced from the gripping projections and opening through the side of the carrier plate remote from said fiat face, a plurality of generally U-shaped resilient loops having terminal end portions engageable through said openings and lying bodily within said recesses and between said gripping projections and firmly gripped thereby, said loops projecting substantially equidistantly and at substantially uniform angles beyond the side of the carrier plate remote from said flat face, hardenable material substantially filling said recesses and covering the terminal end portions and gripping projections and being substantially flush with said flat face, a pressure-sensitive adhesive coating substantially covering said fiat face, and a masking strip covering and protecting said coating and readily stripable therefrom.

3. The invention as defined by claim 2, and wherein each said recess is generally T-shaped and includes a longitudinal reduced portion and an enlarged entrance portion, said gripping projections being within said reduced portion, said diagonal opening formed through the enlarged entrance portion of each recess, whereby the opening and gripping projections of each recess are capable of holding each terminal end portion at an angle to the main body of said loop and parallel to the major plane of the carrier plate. 7

4. A prefabricated yarn guide and tensioning attachment for shuttles comprising a substantially rectangular thin substantially flat carrier plate formed of plastic, said carrier plate provided near and inwardly of the opposite longitudinal edges thereof with small through openings arranged in rows and spaced apart substantially equidistantly, one face of the carrier plate having shallow recesses, said through openings communicating with the recesses near corresponding ends thereof, opposed gripping projections within the recesses, and individually formed substantially U-shaped thin resilient loops of synthetic filamentary material projecting diagonally from the face of said carrier plate remote from the recesses 6 and having terminal end portions engaging through said small openings and disposed within the confines of said recesses and held therein by said gripping projections, plastic filler means for said recesses substantially enclosing the terminal end portions, and pressure sensitive adhesive mounting means on the face of said carrier plate having said recesses and remote from saidvprojecting loops.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,630,817 5/27 Willard 139213 2,343,659 3/44 Gerson 139-2l3 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,054,030 3/59 Germany.

575,305 2/46 Great Britain.

DONALD W. PARKER, Primary Examiner. 

1. A YARN GUIDING AND TENSIONING ATTACHMENT FOR SHUTTLES HAVING BOBBINS COMPRISING A THIN MOLDED PLASTIC CARRIER PLATE HAVING A FLAT FACE PROVIDED WITH A PLURALITY OF LONGITUDINALLY SPACED RECESSES NEAR EACH LONGITUDINAL EDGE THEREOF, SAID CARRIER PLATE HAVING DIAGONAL OPENINGS FORMED THERETHROUGH NEAR CORRESPONDING ENDS OF THE RECESSES AND OPENING INTO THE BOTTOMS OF THE RECESSES GRIPPING PROJECTIONS IN SAID RECESSES AND SPACED FROM SAID OPENINGS, WIDE INDIVIDUALLY FORMED MONO-FILAMENT NYLON RESILIENT LOOPS WHICH ARE SUBSTANTIALLY U-SHAPED AND HAVING TERMINAL END PORTIONS ENGAGEABLE THROUGH SAID DIAGONAL OPENINGS NEAR OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID PLATE, SAID TERMINAL END PORTIONS BENT WITHIN SAID RECESSES TO LIE BODILY THEREIN LONGITUDINALLY THEREOF AND BETWEEN SAID GRIPPED BY SAID GRIPPING PROJECTIONS, HARDENABLE PLASTIC MATERIAL SUBSTANTIALLY FILLING SAID RECESSES AND COVERING AND ENCLOSING THE TERMINAL END PORTIONS THEREIN, A PRESSURESENSITIVE ADHESIVE COVERING SAID FLAT FACE OF THE CARRIER PLATE, AND A MASKING STRIP COVERING SAID ADHESIVE AND READILY REMOVABLE THEREFROM. 